


the space between two worlds

by farks



Category: Psycho-Pass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 19:05:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8459446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farks/pseuds/farks
Summary: Lunch at work used to look a little like this.





	

**Author's Note:**

> implied kozuki/aoyanagi, because what's a better ice breaker than office gossip? kougami you sly dog you
> 
> i don't know what exactly i was going for when i started writing this, since this literally has been lying around in my hard drive for more than a year, but i figured i might as well try to finish it.

"Is this seat taken?"

Risa doesn't look up from the file she's skimming, merely shuffles her belongings into some semblance of order as Kougami slides into the seat across from her with his own tray of food. Today's lunch special is tonkatsu curry served with rice - imitation, of course, though you wouldn't be able to tell from the way Kougami's shoveling it all in his mouth.

Dog-food quality, Kougami used to say. The irony isn't lost on her.

Risa doesn't remember the last time she had lunch with Kougami. Or Ginoza, for that matter. It used to happen two, three times a week, whenever they had the same shifts and weren't called out on a case; now it's dwindled down to the occasional shared coffee break or a hurried greeting when they run into each other in the hallway that separates their offices. Risa particularly misses the way Ginoza would almost reach aneurysm levels of conniption just from watching Kougami sloppily slurp his food, all while the man in question just keeps droning on through a mouthful of food about whatever case of the week he's trying to solve. 

In all honesty, Risa could barely bring herself to think about either of them in the past few months, let alone muster the courage to see them in person, whether at the office or at the rehabilition facility. Risa has never dealt well with change, so avoidance seemed like the logical thing to do at first - a safe, if completely selfish notion. Now in hindsight she wonders if she had reached out and  _done_ something, if she had tried at all, maybe she could have mended this rift between them. But by now it's too late and the situation's gone far beyond the point of no return. 

It probably wouldn't do for Ginoza to risk potential psycho-hazard now, either. 

After giving Kougami enough time to inhale his lunch, Risa discreetly turns off her wristlink's visual display and breaches the silence, because Kougami doesn't seek people out for no reason. "So, have you come to berate me too?"

"Gino probably will, if he hasn't caught wind of it already, but it's not my business to judge you." _Y_ _ou're not going to listen anyway_ , Kougami doesn't say, but Risa hears it just fine. He ignores Risa's unamused stare with practiced ease. "Listen, Kozuki's a decent guy - take it from me. You could've done worse."

It sounds awfully like approval that Risa doesn't need, and she's about to remind Kougami of just that, because who is he to tell her whether she should get involved with a subordinate, but --

Whereas Ginoza refuses to understand, Kougami knows what it's like to bond with a partner on the field (too well, perhaps). Kougami's worked with Ryogo - _Kozuki_ , she's still on duty, goddamn her treacherous mind - for far longer than Risa has, and Kougami's rarely ever wrong when it comes to people, so. Risa swallows the half-formed retort on her lips and reluctantly allows the relief to sink in.

"I thought you were going to lecture me on the dangers of associating with latent criminals. Cover all the bases before Gino gets to me."

"You're having lunch with one right now." Kougami pointedly reminds her (like she could forget), before he adds, "I know you can handle whatever you've gotten yourself into. No point in convincing you otherwise when you've made up your mind."

After that, it's easy enough to slip back into their old lunchtime routine. Risa reaches over to steal the last piece of Kougami's tonkatsu over idle chit chat, and Kougami lets her. It's almost as if nothing's changed, except Kougami's now a full-fledged latent criminal and Ginoza's not speaking to either of them at the moment. The realization hurts less than she expected it to. Kougami's still the same person; still blunt to a fault, still uncannily accurate at reading people, still a messy eater, still the same man who graduated at the top of their year. Only now there's a gauntness to his cheeks, a hunted look in his eyes, and the crime coefficient to prove it.

A shame, really.

As if on cue, Kougami's wristlink starts to beep. A cursory glance confirms it to be Ginoza - speak of the devil - and Kougami quickly ends the call after a curt exchange. "I gotta go. Duty calls."

"Better not keep him waiting then. We can catch up some other time." As Kougami rises to leave for the office, Risa calls after him, "Good hunting, Kougami."

The man scoffs, before he lazily waves her off.


End file.
